Two Different Directions on Protecting the Occoquan Watershed – On Tuesday, the Board unanimously supported my motion to reaffirm our commitment to protecting the downzoned Occoquan Watershed as a critical natural resource for our region. Within the same 24 hours, the Prince William County Board voted 5-2 to approve the Digital Gateway Comprehensive Plan Amendment that would allow development in the watershed, without a complete study on the environmental impacts, and despite the testimony of roughly 300 speakers. While I am reluctant to weigh in on issues in other jurisdictions, how we handle the watershed affects over a million Northern Virginians who rely on the Occoquan Basin for drinking water. Fairfax County has a history of preserving the Occoquan, as does Prince William County, but this Digital Gateway vote is a turning point.
In 1982, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors downzoned approximately 41,000 acres in the Occoquan Basin to a maximum density of one house per five acres and imposed water supply protection controls on approximately 64,500 acres. In 2016, our Board unanimously approved my motion to reaffirm its commitment to the downzoned area which promoted long-term resource planning and improved the capabilities of local governance to protect the water quality of our streams. Since then, our Board and Fairfax Water have made critical investments in the Occoquan watershed, including conversion of part of the Vulcan quarry, to provide drinking water for the region well into the future.
On the other side of the Occoquan, Prince William County has been considering the Digital Gateway Comprehensive Plan Amendment for the last few years. The plan opens the door for data center development within the watershed on over 2,000 acres, which could result in millions of dollars in tax revenue for the county while simultaneously having potentially detrimental effects on the watershed and surrounding transportation infrastructure. Of particular concern is the potential runoff from any development causing salination and sediment levels to rise in the Occoquan. I do not oppose data centers but believe that the impacts on the watershed must be fully understood before they are included in a comprehensive plan.
Prior to the amendment hearing that started Tuesday afternoon, numerous community groups and individuals publicly opposed the plan including the Great Falls Group of Sierra Club, the HOA Roundtable, the South County Federation, and the Fairfax County Federation. I met with many of these groups as well as Prince William County Supervisors who both supported and rejected this amendment. In those conversations, the most concerning element for me was the lack of understanding about the potential development impact on the watershed. In October, I asked the Fairfax Board to send comments to Prince William County, urging them to complete the study of environmental impacts before considering the plan amendment as was the recommendation of our staff. Instead, the Board opted 7-3 to send a letter encouraging Prince William to complete a study, but not necessarily before the plan amendment is considered. By not requiring the study completion before passing the plan amendment, the Prince William County Board is tying its hands should the study reveal significant concerns.
It was a great disappointment to see the members of the Prince William County Board approve this amendment without full consideration of the impacts to not only their residents, but all residents in Northern Virginia. On our side of the water, I will continue to work to protect the watershed and monitor any upcoming land use cases that may threaten its quality.
Early Voting and Election Day – Early voting continues through Saturday, November 5
th at multiple locations, including the main Government Center in Fairfax. If you can, please vote early. Polls are open from 6 AM to 7 PM on Election Day, Tuesday, November 8
th. Use this link if you need to find your voting precinct: Lookup (virginia.gov). The chart below provides full details on times and locations:
September 23 – November 5
ddress
Fairfax County Government Center
12000 Government Center Pkwy
Conference Rooms 2/3, Fairfax 22035
Hours of operation:
Weekdays: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Three Saturdays (September 24, October 29, November 5): 9 a.m. - 5pm
Address
Mt. Vernon Governmental Center
2511 Parkers Lane Alexandria, 22306
North County Governmental Center
1801 Cameron Glen Drive Reston, 20190
Hours of operation:
Weekdays: 1 - 7 p.m.
Three Saturdays (September 24, October 29, November 5): 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
October 27 – November 5re
ss
Burke Centre Library
5935 Freds Oak Road, Burke 22015
Centreville Regional Library
14200 St. Germain Drive, Centreville 20121
Franconia Governmental Center
6121 Franconia Rd, Alexandria 22310
Great Falls Library
9830 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls 22066
Herndon-Fortnightly Library
768 Center Street, Herndon 20170
Lorton Community Center
9520 Richmond Highway, Lorton 22079
Mason Governmental Center
6507 Columbia Pike, Annandale 22003
McLean Governmental Center
1437 Balls Hill Rd, McLean 22101
Providence Community Center
3001 Vaden Drive, Fairfax 22031
Sully Governmental Center
4900 Stonecroft Boulevard, Chantilly 20151
Thomas Jefferson Library
7415 Arlington Blvd, Falls Church 22042
Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library
7584 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church 22043
West Springfield Governmental Center
6140 Rolling Road, Springfield 22152
Hours of operation:
Weekdays: 1 - 7 p.m.
Two Saturdays (October 29 & November 5): 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Lord and Lady Fairfax -
Each year I nominate two outstanding community members for Celebrate Fairfax’s annual Lord and Lady Fairfax recognitions. This year I was honored to be able to recognize the nominees for Springfield District, Sam Gray and Caroline Sieber for their outstanding service to our community.
Sam is a former firefighter and a true hero, having served as a Battalion Chief with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. He saved many lives and supported communities in the aftermath of disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the earthquake in Haiti. Through his work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency as a Task Force leader and a vital role with their Disaster Assistance Relief Team, Sam was responsible for training safety officers, professional development, and enhanced operations. His work with FEMA as an Urban Search and Rescue task force leader has earned him multiple recognitions, including Medals of Valor, Letters of Commendation, Heroism and Community Service awards like the Grace and Firemark awards and recognition by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 2001. He is also an advocate for physical fitness and a triathlete. He served as the event coordinator for the World Police and Fire Games, of which he medaled in Belfast and Fairfax in indoor rowing, mountain running, and motocross. He has complemented this with years of dedicated community service as a youth football coach and a small business owner of Bunnyman Brewery.
Caroline is a high school student that has dedicated hundreds of hours to service the environment with the LRR Glass Recycling Network, which she formed with her sister in 2021 while schools were closed due to the pandemic and curbside recycling no longer included glass. They operate out of Little Rocky Run and volunteer to pick up throughout neighborhoods and have done so nearly every week since they were formed. Caroline and her team of volunteers support students and residents that want to recycle their glass by collecting and transporting the glass to the County's collection bins. Starting in Centreville High School, they have grown the network to other County high schools, like Fairfax and Herndon, with about 40 volunteers servicing 14 neighborhoods and have recycled over 75,000 glass containers. Their work supports students that have difficulty with transportation to get service hours at school, helps our older adults and other residents by making glass easy to recycle, and sets a course for engaging schools and residents to compete in and support glass recycling initiatives.